Jim Bradshaw: Louisiana spring has its own timetable

The naturalist Roger Tory Peterson told us that spring is “a fluid thing. … Each migrant bird arrives at approximately its appointed time; each flower comes into bloom at its proper place in the floral procession.”
The first azaleas are blooming in my yard, a sure sign that the procession is beginning, and confirming once again the claim made by one of my uncles that south Louisiana was one of the last places on earth to be formed because God waited until He was sure He had everything right.
That’s why there is no place better to watch the regular appearance of birds and blooms that are spring’s harbingers.
Some years signs of spring begin right after Christmas.
Some years we get warm, wet days that hold the promise of the season, only to be followed by a wicked cold snap to kill the vision.
But when it does burst into full bloom, there’s nothing to do but sprawl in a clover patch, look at it all, and sigh, “Ahhhh, yes!”
Narcissus blooms are among the earliest markers in my yard, appearing about the same time as the Japanese magnolias show off pink and purple flowers and just before yellow-tops begin to open in roadside ditches.
Tiny blue wild violets and pink and yellow oxalis follow quickly — about the same time the Mardi Gras maples — red swamp maples — begin to show color.
The late UL professor Jim Foret argued for years that we should promote a “Mardi Gras Maple Tour” through the Atchafalaya Basin, similar to the tours that are so popular in the Northeast to show off fall color.
Nobody followed up on the suggestion, but it’s still a good idea.
About this time, mayhaws begin the process that ultimately progresses to jelly on my morning biscuit.
Yellow jasmine on the front fence may be next in progression, vying with redbud and dogwood trees to catch the eye.
Dandelions, onion flowers, clover and other lawn weeds appear well before the grass begins to turn green.
Early iris flags begin to show off as March makes its appearance, a month before the Louisiana iris begin to make their display. Yellow Lady Banksia roses aren’t far behind.
And then there comes what I call The Week — a string of days when everything bursts into glory: Azaleas, wisteria, bridal wreath, flowering pears and other trees are all open at the same time to create a dazzling burst of glory.
The astronomers tell us that spring will officially arrive in south Louisiana this year at precisely 10:33 a.m. on March 22, but everyone knows that, despite all the mumbo-jumbo by keepers of clocks and calendars, spring in south Louisiana can’t be tied to an exact Moment of Arrival.
We wake up one morning and know that it’s Spring. That’s all. Nobody can say when it will happen, but it’s wonderful when it does.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.